[%  library = libs.splash
    section = 'index' ;
    WRAPPER page
%]

<p>
[% splash.bold %] is a template library which can be used to build
fancy looking HTML pages from a number of simple but powerful
components and fundamental elements.  It is effectively an HTML widget
set which can be used to greatly simplify the process of building user
interfaces for web document systems and applications.
</p>

<p>
[% splash.bold %] is built on top of the HTML library.  It defines
different styles in terms of colours (from the html/rgb template),
font characteristics, text alignment, and so on.  User interface
components can then display themselves according to a given style.
For example, the 'splash.style.select' is used to indicate a selected
menu option, otherwise the default style, 'splash.style.default', is
used.  You can create your own custom styles and use them to customise
the standard components.
</p>

<p>
The user interface components that the [% splash.bold %] library
generates are regular and simple HTML pages that employ some cunning
use of tables and a few tiny graphic elements to create a stylish
"curvey" theme.  The images are only 8x8 pixels in size and mostly
transparent anyway.  They're typically less than 60 <i>bytes</i> in
file size and only 4 images are required for each background page
colour.  In this case, a little bit goes a long way and with nothing
else but regular HTML it's possible to build some attractive buttons,
tabs, panels and other widgets which can be used to brighten up any
web page.
</p>

<p>
The HTML generated should be browser friendly, <i>reasonably</i>
efficient (for what it's doing), fairly compact (likewise), hopefully
standards compliant and portable across different browsers, platforms,
operating systems, etc.
</p>

<p>
Well,that's idea, but this is only version [% splash.version %] of [%
splash.bold %] and should be considered as alpha quality code.  I can
make no guarantees of correctness or suitability for purpose at this
point in time, but I'm always glad to hear about any problems or
receive other feedback, ideas, suggestions, patches, new widgets, etc.
</p>

<p>
Things are starting to settled down a little in the [% splash.bold %]
library, but everything is still subject to change.
</p>

<p>
[% splash.bold %] was chosen as a name for the libary as a
tip-of-the-hat to Slashdot whose web site ([% PROCESS html/link
link="http://slashdot.org/" %] ) contains many nice user interface
components such as these.  I was inspired by their look and allowed
myself to draw influence from them as well as a number of other
places.  The <a href="http://slashcode.org/">Slashcode</a> engine
which runs Slashdot has recently been rewritten (by <a
href="mailto:pudge@pobox.com">Chris Nandor</a>) to use the Template
Toolkit for generating interface elements, so we like the guys at
Slashdot and (hopefully) they like us, too.  :-)
<p>

<p>
A final word of warning - don't go overboard in using these widgets.
Use them sparingly, or rather, use them <i>appropriately</i>.  There
is more to good design than a fancy paintbrush and you <i>can</i> have
too much of a Good Thing.  Remember that the most important thing on
any web page is the content.  Use these widgets as an enhancement for
your content, not a replacement.
</p>

<ul>
[% FOREACH page = library.order %]
<li><b>
[%- INCLUDE html/link 
	link="${page}.html"
	text = page %]:</b>
[% library.pages.$page %]
[% END %]
</ul>

[% END %]

